Automatic piano.



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AUTOMATIC PIANO. APPLICATION FILED JULY 30, 1906.

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AUTOMATIC PIANO.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 26, 1907.

Application filed July 30, 1906. Serial IIo.- 328,403.

To a/ZZ whom, t may concern.-

Beit known that I, ROBERT A. RoDEsoI-I, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Dixon, in the county of Lee and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of automatic-piano players in which a pneumatically-aotuated playing mechanism is controlled by a traveling perforated music-sheet or like controlling means 5 and the present improvement has for its object to provide a simple and eflicient structural arrangement of the manually-actuated exhaust-pump of the pneumatic playing mechanism and the operating pedal mechanism 'for operating said pump adapted to afford an easy and effective operation by the player, all as will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an automatic piano with the lower portion thereof in vertical section and .illustratingr the general arrangement of the present improvement. Fig. f2 is an enlarged side view of the front part of the pedallever. Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of the same.

Similar numerals of reference indicate like parts in the difl'erent views.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the inclosing frame or casing of t-he piano, having the usual screen-board 2, lower moldingrail 3, and bottom board 4- and other minor parts usual to an upright piano.

5 is the manually-actuated exhaust-pump of the pneumatic playing mechanism of the piano arranged in the lower part of the piano-casing 1 immediately to the rear of the screen-board 2, as shown. Such pump may be of any usual construction, the bellows forni shown being preferred in that it can be arranged for convenient actuation by the pedal-lever thereinafter described.

6 is the collapsible exhaust equalizng or accumulating chamber of any usual form, communicating with the exhaust-pump 5 and adapted to equalize the exhaust action` of such pump or a pair of such pumps, when two are used, to create the exhaust power of the playing mechanism.

7 is the pedal-lever for actuating the exhaust-pump 5 of the aforesaid pumping n'iechanism. In the present improvement such lever is provided with a depending arm i S intermediate of its le1'1gth,'bywhich it is pivoted to the bottom board 4 of the piano-casing )y suitable pivot-brackets, as shown in Figa 1. The forward end of said lever projects through an opening in the bottom front forward end a roller 10 for operative engagement by the foot of the operator. At its rear end such lever is formed with an upturned angular extension 1.1, the free end of which is operatively connected by a link 1.2 to the movable member of the exhaustpump, as shown.

Such construction is adapted to afford a very compact and eflicient arrangement of parts, whereby the operation of the exhaustvement manner.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an automatic piano, of the type herein described, the combination of a pianocasing, a main exhaust-pump of the bellows type arranged in the interior of said casing with the free end of the movable member of said pump in adjacent relation. to the bottoni board of Ysaid casing, a pedal-lever pivoted within the piano-casing and provided with a forwardly-extending pedal end, an intermediate depending arm and an upturned angular inner end, and a link connecting said inner end of the pedal-lever with the movable member of the exhaust-pump.

2. In an automatic piano of the type herein described, the combination of a piano-casing, a main exhaust-pump of the bellows type arranged in the interior of said casing with the free end of the movable member of said pump in adacent relation to the bottom board of said casing, a pedal-lever )ivoted within the piano-casing and provide with a forwardly-extending pedal1 end, an intermediate depending arm and an upturned angular inner end, a roller mounted on the forward end of said pedal-lever, and a link connecting the inner end of said le ver with the movable member of the exhaust-pump.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 27th day of July, 1906.

ROBERT A. RODESGH. Witnesses t ROBERT BUBNs, HENRY MOE.

rail 9 of the piano-casing and carries at its.

pump can effected in a very easy and con- 

